Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific appear to have purposefully left out critical information on the affect that the proposed merger would have on workers – if approved. Instead of listing the information publicly as they did in their past two applications, they designated it as “highly confidential.” The BLET and the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition want to know why. On July 1, a motion was filed by the union and its coalition partner with the Surface Transportation Board to re-designate the information so it can be available to the public.
The two railroads claim unions have not shown why they need the specific information rather than the gross numbers that are included in the public portion of the filing. They claim that “public disclosure of the location-specific information in the Exhibit would reveal comparatively sensitive operating plans and workforce strategies.”
In a response, the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition says, “the real question is whether there is a valid basis for applicants to designate this information Highly Confidential.” The coalition added to its response, saying, “We just believe that the designation is plainly improper, that it is not the sort of information that a confidentiality order is designed to protect, and that the designation is not consistent with prior applications.”
Read the full filing here (PDF). Read a related story on Trains.com here.
The BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference are founding members of the Stop the Rail Merger Coalition, which represents a broad cross section of business, labor, and consumers. The coalition asserts that the proposed merger will threaten workers, reduce competition, hurt supply chains, and increase costs for manufacturers, farmers and consumers.
Locomotive photos by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659